Insurance Criteria
Student Health Plan
About Aetna Student Health Insurance
Information for Graduating Students
All full-time students, including visiting/exchange students, must have health insurance that meets University criteria. Students can enroll in the University-sponsored insurance plan or they can waive the insurance if their plan meets University criteria. Requests to waive the University-sponsored insurance may be audited to verify coverage. International-based insurance plans often do not meet University criteria. See "Insurance with an International-based Company" below for more information.
Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Insurance Process: Every year all full-time students, whether new or returning, must document their health insurance coverage by completing the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver insurance Process during the appropriate open enrollment period. Students enrolling on the University-sponsored insurance plan may enroll eligible dependents. The same deadlines apply.
Failure to complete the online process during the appropriate open enrollment period will result in automatic enrollment in the University-sponsored insurance plan and could lead to a delay in access to care for the first two months of the plan.
PLEASE NOTE: The Fall Open Enrollment period closed at midnight on Monday, September 16. Students can no longer enter the online insurance site to enroll or waive the University-sponsored insurance. The online site will re-open in November for students who begin their full-time studies in January and students who are returning from studying abroad in the fall.
Please Note: Students who are beginning full-time studies before August 1 must complete the Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver process in two steps. Completing both steps is necessary to assure continuation of your coverage decision from the start of your program through the academic year. Step 1 covers the beginning of your program through July 31, 2013. Step 2 covers the academic year (August 1, 2013 through July 31, 2014). Click here for instructions.
Visiting and exchange students who will be studying at the University for 8 weeks or more participate in the Student Health Plan, which includes the mandatory health fee and health insurance. They receive the same services as University of Rochester full-time students. Visiting and exchange students must complete the online Health Insurance Enroll/Waive Process during the appropriate Open Enrollment period. They can enroll in the University-sponsored insurance plan or waive the insurance if their plan meets the University insurance criteria. These students must also complete the Health History Form.
Visiting and exchange students who will be studying at the University for less than 8 weeks do not participate in the Student Health Plan. They are welcome to come to the University Health Service (UHS) for care on a fee-for-service basis. These students do not complete a Health History Form.
The fees for the mandatory health fee and health insurance for the 2013-2014 year are:
Coverage begins on August 1, 2013 and continues through July 31, 2014. Students who have insurance coverage that meets University criteria can waive the health insurance fee. All full-time students must complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the appropriate open enrollment period.
If you should experience a qualifying event during the year, please contact the UHS Insurance Advisor for assistance. Examples of qualifying events include: loss of coverage through your parent or spouse, birth of a child, marriage, divorce, is leaving the country permanently.
Please Note: Returning to campus in January after studying abroad in the fall semester is not considered a qualifying event. You must complete the online insurance process during the Winter Open Enrollment period (November through January 30). The link will be in the blue box near the top of this page.
International-based plans often do not meet University criteria for waiver. For this reason, we highly recommend checking the University criteria carefully before deciding to purchase insurance from an international-based company. Your plan must meet all of the University criteria to qualify for waiver of the University-sponsored insurance.
Completing the Enrollment/Waiver Process: You must first complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the appropriate open enrollment period. If your request to waive is denied, you can appeal the denial by submitting the "Insurance Verification Form for International-Based Insurance Plans Only" by September 16 (or January 30 for students beginning in January). Your plan must meet all of the University insurance criteria to be considered for an appeal. A representative from the insurance company must sign the form to verify your plan meets the University criteria. All requests for waiver will be audited.
If your request to waive is denied and you would like to enroll in the University-sponsored plan, send an e-mail to insurance@uhs.rochester.edu. Include your name, student ID, and birthdate in the message and "Re-set Aetna account" in the subject line. When your account is re-set, you will need to complete the online enrollment process before the end of the open enrollment period.
Graduating students are encouraged to check their health insurance status to assure continuing coverage and access to health care following graduation. Students enrolled in the University-sponsored Aetna Student Health insurance plan are covered through July 31, 2013. For students needing more time to secure alternate coverage, a single term 3 month continuation plan is available for students currently enrolled in the plan. Write to insurance@uhs.rochester.edu for additional information if needed. Students must enroll in the continuation plan within 31 days of loss of coverage, or by August 31, 2013. For more…
All full-time students participate in the Student Health Plan, which covers primary care visits to the University Health Service (UHS), time-limited therapy at the University Counseling Center (UCC), and health promotion services. The Student Health Plan includes:
If you have questions about health insurance, contact the UHS Insurance Advisor at insurance@uhs.rochester.edu.